911 dispatcher new to the job helps woman deliver baby over the phone

ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) - A 911 dispatcher new to the job is being recognized for helping a woman deliver her baby safely at home.

Ashley Purcell was only a few weeks into her training program when she received an early morning phone call in September.

“It was literally the first call I took,” she said. “I just sat down, just got signed in.”

Alexius McFerrin and her boyfriend had called 911 from their apartment.

“I had woke up around 2:00 in the morning to some minor contractions, but they were pretty mild, so I didn’t think much of it,” McFerrin said. “I was scheduled to be induced later that day, so I wasn’t too worried.”

McFerrin said the contractions quickly grew stronger and her boyfriend suggested calling 911.

“He was actually telling me to call 911, but I told him I was fine,” she said. “But then I was like, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to make it to the hospital.”

Purcell said that amid the chaos and yelling on the other end of the phone, she had quickly realized what was happening.

“He told me, ‘My wife is having a baby,’” said Purcell. “I was like, ‘I have to ask, can you see any part of the baby?’ And he said, ‘Yes, the head is coming out,’ and I said, ‘OK, we’re going to deliver a baby now.’”

Back at the apartment, McFerrin said her water broke as she came down the stairs into her living room. She slowly made her way to the living room.

“He kind of walked away, and I’m like, ‘You have to catch her!’“ she said. “He was like, ‘I walked out because you were screaming, and I couldn’t hear the dispatcher on the phone,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I think he was a little scared.”

Within a few minutes, McFerrin delivered a healthy baby girl named Mila. Purcell continued with her training and instruction, helping McFerrin’s boyfriend until EMS crews arrived.

“We got to hear the baby’s first cry over the phone, so that was really neat,” Purcell said.

EMS crews took mom and baby to the hospital to get checked out. The next day, they returned home. Mila is McFerrin’s third child.

“It was the first call I’ve had where I just went into autopilot and knew what to do,” said Purcell. “I’m a mother and had an unmedicated birth, so I know what she’s experiencing, and I wanted to help both of them as much as I could.”

She received an award and a coveted stork pin given to dispatchers who help deliver a baby. McFerrin said she didn’t realize Purcell had only been on the job for a few weeks and is grateful for her help in an otherwise traumatic situation.

“I’m so happy that she was able to experience that with us,” she said. “It just feels like it was her that was meant to answer the phone that day.”